This relates to flexible thin film gloves such as those dipped or molded from latex, rubber, vinyl, and other similar film forming materials. These gloves are usually fabricated over molds by dipping and drying operations usually composed of several steps in order to develop the preferred glove film thickness. In particular, this disclosure relates to the specific shape and form of the hand and cuff areas for the dipped glove. The thickness and strength of the cuff area is important to the manufacture and subsequent use of the glove. The shape of the preferred glove in the hand portion is designed for use with either the left or right hand.
In the prior art there is disclosed gloves having configurations in and about the wrist and cuff area which are included there for various purposes including strength. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,647 which discloses techniques in the prior art. The process taught therein is for making a glove with a thicker cuff portion. In particular, longitudinal flutes are provided in the cuff area which permit more latex to be incorporated into the cuff area during the dipping operation. Upon drying and vulcanizing that additional cuff material is stretched out of the valleys of flutes thus covering (linearly around the circumference of the wrist) across the chordal distances, a shorter span. The material provided during the dipping process, to cover the valley of the fluted wrist and cuff portion of the glove form, now covers a smaller circumferential span because of the shrinkage during the drying process. Consequently, the cuff film thereabout is thicker.
Another approach which is said to resist cuff roll down is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,095,293 and 4,133,624, wherein a combination of circumferential channels in the wrist and cuff portion cooperate with a plurality of longitudinal flutes in the wrist and cuff areas to form a waffle pattern of crisscrossing configuration which are slightly constricted and act as a reinforcing band around the cuff of the glove. The overall pattern where the crossing takes place produces a waffle grid configuration which is said to resist rolldown and enhance the thickness of the glove at the bottom or base of each of the channels.